Device for skimming oil from the surface of water

ABSTRACT

The dock vessel has the tow compartment for placement of tug-boats, and technological compartment. The technological compartment is made as a hangar at the bottom of which a central channel is located, along its upper boundaries, the rack-ledges with symmetrical location to the right and left, toward the hull, are placed on which the technological equipment for the water-oil emulsion treatment is placed. Between the dock-vessel hull walls and side walls of the central channel, the containers for collection of the emulsified oil are placed. The central channel of the technological compartment is equipped with, at least, two bulkheads in which, the hermetically pluggable openings located at different levels are made. The floating boom is made as the sectional net sleeve filled with elastic porous adsorbent and provided with positive buoyancy in the top edge of doubled net forming the net sleeve and negative buoyancy at its lower edge.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This Application is a Continuation application of International Application PCT/RU2012/000067, filed on Feb. 6, 2012, which in turn claims priority to Russian Patent Applications No. RU2011104469, filed Feb. 8, 2011, both of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to shipbuilding, in particular, vessels for skimming pollution from the water surface as well as environment protection and can be used for containment and removal of the stain of oil or oil-product including its large flow from any water surface. The application of the invention is possible for containment and removal of the accidental oil spills around the onshore loading terminals, marine mobile drilling platforms as well as for equipping the oil tankers, offshore drilling platforms.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The oil garbage disposal vessel is known that comprises a hull with fore and aft ends, propulsive devices connected with power canal and crossing canal through hydraulic damper. In the bows, the oil-and-garbage room is located. In the central part of the vessel hull, the sludge collecting tank hydraulically connected through the overflow sills and openings with the vacuum system of oil separation and pumping is arranged (RF patent No. 2066654, V63B 35/32, publ. on 20.09.1996).

A drawback of the known unit is the fact that the patented construction of the oil garbage disposal vessel does not allow to operationally carry out a collection of oil products because the oil-and-garbage room located in the bows cannot operate when heaving of the sea even at dead slow speed. The operation of such equipment is only possible under calm conditions, i.e. in the protected waters. When operated on a seaway and under conditions of inevitable rolling and pitching motions, any device fixed in the bow of a vessel will be subjected to durable cyclical oscillations, work in “breakage”, or, at sufficient stiffness, the construction will intermittently separate from the water surface which will inevitable result in a loss of the recovered oil

The oil spill recovery vessel is known, project 17501, being made as the closed steel displacement-type, flush decked vessel with one-island deck house, with hull separated by four cross bulkheads into five watertight compartments and twin-shaft diesel-powered propulsion machinery and water-jet propulsors.

The vessel is designed for solution of the following problems:

-   -   transportation and laying of floating guard booms;     -   taking over bilge waters and garbage from vessels and         transportation of them to points of treatment;     -   loading and transportation of different cargoes with total mass         of up to 5 t;     -   execution of operations for skimming of spills on the sea of oil         products with the flash point of higher than 60° (Found on the         Internet on Dec. 18, 2010 at the address:         http://www.stapanilcompleted/div 12/104.html).

A major drawback of this device is the fact that it can operate only within the protected waters and cannot be used in the high seas.

The device for containment and skimming of oil and oil products on the sea is known that comprises an oil spill recovery vessel with means of oil recovery, hollow flexible boom the ends of which are connected with after ends of towboats. For deployment of the floating boom, two towboats are used. The oil recovery vessel was made in the form of catamaran (twin-hull boat) the hulls of which are attached to the frame arrange between them. Within the frame, a row of drums is placed along the frame length on the vertical axes and, at least, two rows are located along its height. On each drum, a separate strip of boom having at the ends the coupling elements for mechanical linking with adjacent strips is spooled, at that, the floating boom is made with consideration for connection of its hollows with the compressed air source and air release from them. The floating boom is in position to be detached from tug-boats and connected into a circle (RF patent No. 2249078, E02B 15/04, publ. on 27.03.2005).

To the drawbacks of the known device, its not large reliability should be first of all assigned because the vessel is made as catamaran and processing equipment is mounted on the frame between the floats. It is known that the space between the floats is exposed to peak loads in waves. Into the floating booms, the compressed air is pumped, therefore, quite powerful compressors should be mounted on the same frame. In case of damage to compressor or electric drive motor, pressure air supply will be terminated which will result in immersion of the floating boom. The towage of the boom by two towboats will also contribute to the temporary sinkage of some sections of the floating boom due to hydrodynamic component of the oncoming water flow, oscillations of boom sections when the negative incidence angles of immersion of these sections arise and, as a consequence, a part of oil spill will escape through the formed free space. These above listed drawbacks make difficult the employment of the known device for collection of oil spills on the high seas. In addition, in case of cleaning of large oil patches, the device is in need of floating reservoir or tanker.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A problem solved by the claimed invention is a possibility of the device operation on the high seas, improving reliability and efficiency with the simultaneous simplification of the process of the emulsified oil collection and treatment.

The solving of the assigned task is provided by the fact that, in the known device for collection of oil from the water surface comprising the oil spill recovery vessel with means of oil pimping, floating boom connected at one end to the tug boats, and, at least, two drums with branners, pursuant to the invention, the oil spill recovery vessel was made as the dock vessel having a hull with decks and double bottom, the hull interior is divided into two compartments: technologic and towing. The towing compartment is located in the after body of the dock vessel and made as a channel framed with walls and two on-board hangars equipped with gates and bulkheads and, at that, the width of the on-board hangar is not less than that of the tug-boat while the length is not less than that providing a placement of, at least, one tug-boat.

The technologic compartment is made as a hangar limited by a ceiling, side and end walls, at the bottom of a hangar, the central channel is situated along the upper boundaries of which, the rack-ledges with symmetrical deepening to the right and left, toward the hull, are placed on which the technological equipment for the water-oil emulsion treatment is placed. Between the dock-vessel hull walls and side walls of the central channel, the containers for collection of emulsified oil connected by suction branches with the central channel of the technological compartment are placed.

The central channel of the technological compartment is fitted with, at least, two bulkheads in which the hermetically pluggable openings located at different levels are made, at that, the level of placing the hermetically pluggable openings in the bulkheads lowers from aft to fore.

The floating boom is made as the sectional net sleeve filled with elastic porous adsorbent and provided with positive buoyancy in the top edge of double net, owing to which the net sleeve is formed and negative buoyancy at its lower edge.

The drums with branners are placed in the after end of the dock vessel and connected with one of the ends of sectional net sleeve.

The sections of the net sleeve are made to be detachable.

The sections of the net sleeve are made to be different in height, at that, in case of reeling out, the sections having a greater heights are situated closer to the dock vessel.

The top edge of the net sleeve can be provided with additional buoyancies. The additional buoyancies contribute to the effective work of the sectional net sleeve under stormy conditions and allow to avoid a tipping over of the oil over the sectional net sleeve.

In the hangar ceiling of the technological compartment, at least, one ventilating shaft is placed. The ventilating shaft allows to control the level of the produced gas concentration. In emergency, the technological compartment can be filled with inert gas or fire-prevention composition.

Execution of the device as the dock vessel makes it possible to process the water-oil emulsion to the quite considerable extent directly on the sea and to transfer the end product to tankers for the following transportation.

A division of the dock vessel into two sections, towing and technological, allows for the dock vessel to carry small towboats which cannot move independently with required velocity on the high seas and are promptly delivered by the dock vessel to the point of oil spill which, provides, ultimately, the fast and qualitative oil spill elimination and contributes to solution to the environmental problem.

The availability of the channel in the towing compartment divided by gates into separate sections provides a primary accumulation of the accompanying garbage and water-emulsion mixture to the particular concentration which allows ultimately not only to improve the quality of oil collected on the sea surface but also to increase the stability of the dock vessel.

The installation in the central channel of the technological compartment of, at least, two bulkheads divides it into separate sections (drainage sumps) which allows not only to separate the accidental garbage from the oil but also to contribute to the high-quality oil separation from water and availability in the bulkheads of the hermetically pluggable openings located at different levels contributes to the smooth and free movement of oil separated from water along the central channel to the section adjacent to the fore body of the dock vessel and, as a consequence, the oil practically separated from the water fraction is accumulated in this section.

The rack-ledges placed along the upper boundaries of the central channel with symmetrical deepening to the right and left, toward the hull exercise the function of the foundation for placement of technological equipment and contribute to the secure travel of the operating personnel.

The use of the sectional net sleeve as the boom filled with the adsorbent provides a means for continuous collection of spilled oil products on the large area, about 500 m². It provides also the temporary containment of oil spill upon condition of towage of this sectional netting sleeve by the tug-boats and concentration of the oil patch. After increasing the concentration of oil patch and transfer of it to the tow compartment channel, the net sleeve prevents the oil outflow outside the net sleeve because the elastic porous adsorbent is placed as if in the double net load-bearing frame backed upright at the expense of positive buoyancy arranged along the top edge of the net sleeve and negative buoyancy placed along its lower edge. The use of elastic porous adsorbent allows to absorb and retain the appreciable quantity of oil as well as the adsorbent is a barrier precluding a penetration of oil to cleaned space in the course of towing and oil directing to the tow compartment channel.

The fact that a net sleeve is made in the form of sections provides easy of maintenance and manufacture of a boom exercising a function of wing walls-concentrators in the course of oil skimming. In addition, it affords an opportunity to apply in the boom sections differed in heights that allows to retain the oil layer of a larger thickness immediately near the after body of the dock vessel hull. The net form allows to uniformly fix the adsorbent inside the sleeve, to avoid windows and leaking of oil through it. Furthermore, a simple design of the net sleeve allows to manufacture and repair it in case of damage directly aboard the dock vessel.

Availability of reservoirs and double bottom in the dock vessel allows to accumulate the end purified product (oil) for its following transportation.

The drums can be placed in the after body of the vessel and their number can be two or more. The drums are equipped with pressing rollers providing an expression of oil from adsorbent when the sectional net sleeve is hauled in on completion of operations or for their repair or replacement.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1—a plan view of the dock vessel with sectional view is presented;

FIG. 2—a rear view of the dock vessel, cross-section;

FIG. 3—floating boom diagram;

FIG. 4—diagram of the oil patch skimming by the dock vessel.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The device for skimming of oil on the sea is made as the dock vessel having a hull 1 with decks 2 and double bottom 3, the interior hull 1 is divided into two compartments: technological 4 and tow 5.

The tow 5 compartment is located in the after part of the hull 1 of dock vessel and made as a channel 6 framed by the walls 7 and two board 8 hangars equipped with separate 9 gates and bulkheads 10, at that, the width of the on-board hangar 8 is not less than that of the tug-boat 11 while the length is not less than that providing a placement of, at least, one tug-boat 11.

The technologic 4 compartment is made as a hangar 12 limited by a ceiling 13 fitted with ventilation shaft 14, side 15 and end 16 walls, at the bottom of a hangar 12, the central 17 channel is situated along the upper boundaries of the central 17 channel, the rack-ledges 18 with symmetrical location to the right and left, toward the hull, are placed on which the technological equipment (not shown in a drawing) for the water-oil emulsion treatment is placed; between side 15 walls of the central 17 channel and hull 1 wall, the containers 19 for collection of oil connected by suction branches of pumps (not shown in a drawing) for water and oil pumping with the central 17 channel of the technological compartment are placed.

Inside the channel 6 of the tow 5 compartment, the gates 20 are installed for closing of the aft part of the tow compartment. The central 17 channel of the technological 4 compartment is equipped with, at least, two bulkheads 10 with forming the sections, temporary drainage sumps for emulsified oil. In the bulkheads 10, the hermetically pluggable openings 21 located at different levels are made, at that, the level of placing the hermetically pluggable openings in the bulkheads 10 lowers from aft to fore of the hull 1 of the dock vessel. In order to enable the spontaneous migration of oil from one drainage sump to the other, the openings 21 in the bulkheads 10 are situated at different levels, step by step, at that, the openings in the bows are arranged closer to the double bottom 3 of the hull 1 than those abaft.

The technological equipment placed on the racks-ledges 18 is accessible for maintenance and control. On the decks 2, equipment and laboratory for quality control of oil and water drained overboard as well as accommodation spaces for personnel (not shown in a drawing) are situated.

The guard boom is made as the sectional net sleeve 22 filled with elastic porous adsorbent 23 and provided with positive buoyancy 24 in the top edge of double net, owing to which the net sleeve is formed and negative buoyancy 25 at its lower edge. The sections 26 of the net sleeve 22 are made to be detachable. The top edge of the sectional net 22 sleeve, being simultaneously the positive buoyancy 24, can be equipped with additional buoyancies (not shown in a drawing).

The drums 27 with branners (not shown in a drawing) are placed in the after end of the dock vessel 1 and connected with one of the sections 26 of sectional net 22 sleeve.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

The device works as follows.

On arrival of the dock vessel to the point of oil spill, the master submerges slightly the after-part of the dock vessel and gives order to open gates 9 of the board hangars 8.

Both tug-boats 11 come out of the board hangars 8 and carry the sections 26 of the sectional net 22 sleeve unreeling them from drums 27.

The number of set sections 26 of the sectional net 22 sleeve is consistent with dimensions of the treated space (oil products spill). The towboats 11 extend, to the extent possible, the sections 26 of the sectional net 22 sleeve arranging them on the right and left sides of the hull 1 of the dock vessel in such a way that oil patch 28 was situated between the towboats 11.

In this case, the oil patch 28 proves to be enveloped by the guard boom of the sectional net 22 sleeve exercising a function of wing walls-concentrators due to its construction when unreeling from drums 27. The top edge of the sectional net 22 sleeve equipped with positive 24 buoyancy and lower edge equipped with negative 25 buoyancy are deployed and keep on the float the top edge of the net 22 sleeve filled with the elastic porous adsorbent 23, in consequence of which the oil escape outside the guard boom is prevented. The deployed floating guard boom not only prevents oil from escape outside it but also adsorbs it partially by elastic porous adsorbent 23. After that the oil patch proved to be inside the guard boom of sectional net 22, in the dock vessel, the gate 9 close and gate 20 open. And the dock vessel will maintain the same heading as the tug-boats 11 but the stem foremost. In the course of motion of the “system” of vessels, the dock vessel and two tug-boats go with the same speed while the oil patch shifts to the stern of dock vessel. Owing to that the sections 26 of the sectional net 22 sleeve located closer to the stem of dock vessel have the larger height, the escape of oil outside the boom is as before prevented in spite of the oil patch concentration. And, in this case, the boom provides a movement of the oil patch to the entrance into the channel 6 framed by walls 7 of the towing compartment 5. An increase in the oil film thickness takes place due to attack of the counter flow; the oil accumulated in the channel 6 of the tow 5 compartment is drained under gravity to the first section (drainage sump) of the technological 4 compartment through the openings 21 in the bulkhead 10 installed in the tow 5 compartment. Due to mounting of several bulkheads 10 in the central 17 channel of the technological 4 compartment, the sections-“drainage-sumps” are created which contribute to the oil separation from emulsified oil. Then the hermetically pluggable openings 21 in all bulkheads 10 of the central 17 channel of the technological 4 compartment open. As the oil is accumulated in the first section (drainage sump), it enters by gravity the following section (drainage sump) of the technological compartment from which it moves to the next one due to the fact that the openings 21 in the next bulkhead 10 are placed lower than those in the previous bulkhead 10. The oil concentration increases as it moves to the section (drainage sump) located in the bows of the hull 1 of technological 4 compartment. When this section (drainage sump) is full, the technological equipment (separators, ejectors, pumps etc.) placed on the racks-ledges 18 is turned on and processes the accumulated emulsified oil with producing the clean oil and treated water. Through the suction branches of pumps, the oil is pumped to the reservoirs 19 or double bottom 3 while the treated water is drained overboard. Before the drainage overboard, the quality of treated water is checked in the laboratory arranged on one of the decks 2.

Upon completion of removal of oil spill 28, the tug-boats 11 start inverse motion to the dock vessel and, in this case, the sections 26 of the net 22 sleeve are spooled on the drums 27 going preliminarily through the branners (not shown in a drawing). When going through the branners, the recovered oil is pressed out of the elastic porous adsorbent 23, accumulated in the tray (not shown in a drawing). From there, it is transferred by pumps and, after getting through separators, enters the reservoirs 19 while the treated water is drained overboard after the laboratory control. The sectional net 22 sleeve is fully reeled on the drum and the last sections 26 connected to the tug-boats 11 disconnect. The dock vessel creates trim by the stern and tug-boats 11 return to their storage positions, gates 9 and 20 are closed and the openings 21 in the bulkheads 10 are hermetically plugged. The dock vessel stabilized the trim and it is ready to move to other area (next oil spill).

The claimed device can be used for oil skimming on the high seas, it not only moves rapidly the means for oil skimming but also takes appreciable quantity of oil. In this case, the dock vessel provide also a means for oil separation from water and technological equipment placed on the racks of the dock vessel allows to receive the treated water which improves considerable the efficiency of the use of vessel for removal of oil spills. In the offered dock vessel, people of different social levels can be used and the possibility exists to apply the most modern automation systems for oil skimming and remote control of tug-boats. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A device for containment and skimming of oil and oil products on the sea comprising: an oil spill recovery vessel with means for pumping out oil, the oil spill recovery vessel being made as a dock vessel having the hull with decks and a double bottom, the hull having an interior divided into: a tow compartment situated in the after-part of the dock vessel comprises a channel framed by its walls, and two on-board hangars comprising gates and bulkheads, wherein a width of an on-board hangar is no less than that of a tug-boat and a length of an on-board hangar is no less than that of at least one tug-boat; and a technological compartment made as a hangar and defied by a ceiling, side and end walls, the technological compartment comprising: a central channel and a plurality of rack-ledges situated to the right and left along upper boundaries of the central channel, the central channel of the technological compartment comprising at least two bulkheads with hermetically pluggable openings located at different levels, wherein the level of placing the hermetically pluggable openings in the bulkheads decreases from aft to fore; and containers connected with the technological compartment and disposed between the walls of the dock-vessel and side walls of the central channel; a guard boom coupled at one end to tug boats and made as a sectional net sleeve filled with elastic porous adsorbent and provided with positive buoyancy at a top edge of the net sleeve and negative buoyancy at a lower edge of the net sleeve; and at least two drums with branners.
 2. The device as defined in claim 1, wherein the drums with the branners are located in the after-part of the dock vessel.
 3. The device as defined in claim 1, wherein the sectional net sleeve is detachable.
 4. The device as defined in claim 1, wherein sections of the sectional net sleeve have a different height and wherein the sections of greater heights are situated closer to the dock vessel during reeling out.
 5. The device as defined in claim 1, wherein at least one ventilation shaft is placed in a hangar ceiling
 6. The device as defined in claim 1, wherein the top edge of the sectional net sleeve, formed when the net sleeve is folded, comprises additional buoyancies. 